Pacers visit Kings at ARCO Arena

Kevin Martin scored 33 points and Ron Artest finished with 23 and nine rebounds to pace Sacramento to a 104-96 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday at the Rose Garden.

Artest is in some hot water. He was excused from the team indefinitely after he was arrested and later released on $50,000 bail Monday by the Placer County Sheriff’s Department following a disturbance at his Loomis, CA home.

According to the Placer County Sheriff’s Department, a female called 911 at 9:23 a.m. local time, reporting that she had been assaulted by Artest, one of the NBA’s best defenders. Deputies responded and found both parties in the home, but separated. Artest cooperated during the interview and was booked without incident. He is scheduled to be arraigned March 22nd.

Meanwhile, Mike Bibby ended with 13 points in Saturday’s win for the Kings, while Shareef Abdur-Rahim netted 10 for Sacramento, which opens a three-game homestand tonight against Indiana.

Sacramento is 17-12 at home this season, and will also host the San Antonio Spurs and the Denver Nuggets on the current homestand.

Indiana has lost five in a row and plays the third of a four-game road trip. Corey Maggette scored 20 points and Elton Brand finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds, as the Los Angeles Clippers topped the ice-cold Pacers, 87-64. The 64-point effort was a record-low output for the Pacers, falling just under the previous low of 65.

Jamaal Tinsley was the only player in double-figures for Indiana with 16 points in the loss to the Clippers. Mike Dunleavy, in a matchup against his father, Mike Dunleavy Sr., the head coach of the Clippers, scored eight points and grabbed seven boards for the Pacers, who have lost eight of their last 11 games overall.

The Pacers are just 11-17 on the road this season. They are scheduled to host Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

This is the second meeting of the season between the clubs. On February 25th, Martin scored 35 points, grabbed five rebounds and collected three steals as Sacramento knocked off the Pacers, 110-93, at Conseco Fieldhouse.

These two teams have split the last six meetings at Sacramento. The Kings have captured seven of the last nine contests in the series.